Growing Up
by jo821
Summary: AU High School. Sakura is head over heels for Sasuke, but she has a lot of growing up to do...Sakura x Gaara
1. Chapter 1

Wheeeeee! My first ever Naruto fic! If you're reading, that means you're interested! Yay! Someone's interested!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Naruto.

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"_I'm late...I'm so late..._" Sakura Haruno thought, as she ran across her room, picking up items of clothing in a frenzy. Today was the first day of her senior year, and she had about ten minutes to get ready before classes started. Don't get the wrong idea – Sakura was a great student. Excellent, even. Straight As, exemplary behavior. But it just so happened that all of Sakura's academic glory crumbled at the mere sight of the most (unwillingly) popular boy of Konoha High School, Sasuke Uchiha. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha – excellent student, probably more so than Sakura, because while she had to spend days studying for a test, excellence just sort of came naturally for Sasuke. Grades-wise and looks-wise, thought Sakura and every other member of the Sasuke Uchiha fan club (other aspects of his person weren't usually considered).

And since this was Sakura's last year in high school, she was absolutely, one hundred percent determined to win over Sasuke's heart. It had to be this year, because afterwards, they wouldn't see each other and…they were meant to be. She knew it. She felt it. She knew _he_ felt it. How couldn't he, when she was one of the most active members of his fan club, having spent weeks two years ago making pins and posters for his Student Body President campaign (that the fan club had nominated him for. He resigned after winning the election – the slogan was _Vote Uchiha, he's just so dreamy!_) and having almost threatened half the school last year to sign a petition urging the coach to change the school's soccer team name (from Konoha High to Sasuke Uchiha Football Club, in honor of their most sensational player)? No, they were meant to be.

But alas, Sakura had been way too caught up in one of her Sasuke-starred dreams to hear the alarm clock, so now she faced a choice – take her time, put on some of her best clothes, brush her long hair straight, and put on some make-up, so as to make a grand entrance and impress the boy of her dreams, with the downside of ruining her always-punctual school record; or grab whatever's clean, run for the door and comb her hair with her fingers, not impressing Sasuke but saving her school record. In the end, she gloomily decided that her future was slightly more important than Sasuke, so she grabbed some jeans, a yellow shirt with some design she didn't remember, the closest pair of flats, and a bracelet she had left in her desk, making sure that everything at least matched. She threw her bag over her shoulder, and yelled at her mom, desperately, to get her to school.

"Sakura, y-you look so f-frazzled, w-what h-happened?" was the first thing Sakura heard when she got to school. Hinata, her best friend, was waiting for her by the school gates.

"I woke up late, but I'm fine." They walked to their first class, chatting about some TV show. Sakura had known Hinata since junior high, but only as the shy, quiet girl who didn't have many friends. When they got to high school, Sakura's friendships were strained because most girls she knew shared her burning passion for the dashingly dark prince of Konoha High (said prince involuntarily twitched every time he heard the title). She still talked to them, but there was a rivalry and competitiveness than wouldn't let them be close. So, she got to know the one girl who didn't suffer the same plight. Hinata was shy, but she was also loyal and kind, and, not liking Sasuke herself, was available to listen to Sakura's rantings. She reminded Sakura of how she was when she was a little girl, sad, lonely and ashamed of her disproportionate forehead; Hinata had, luckily, a normal forehead, but she had always been a little plumper than the other girls, and she had always felt at fault because of this. Sakura tried her best to be the best friend she could be, so Hinata would come out of her shell and be happier with herself.

"Move it, fat-ass!"

But high school was as tough as ever. Hinata blushed furiously, and picked up the bag she had dropped.

"Come on Hina, don't listen to that jerk. If there's anyone fat here, it's his nose."

Hinata managed to giggle at her friend's comment. They reached their classroom, and went inside. Sakura stopped in her tracks, gawking at Sasuke, who was, as always, sitting in the back, surrounded by a bunch of giggling girls. Hinata patiently pulled Sakura by the hand to their seats. Sakura sat down, and dropped her head to the table, turning it towards Sasuke's direction. Some guys looked at her strangely.

"Is she unconscious?"

"Hina, should I've brought something for him?" Sakura said, ignoring the guys, looking at some girls who were trying to convince Sasuke to accept some homemade cookies with strawberry-frosted hearts. The accepting part was difficult, as Sasuke was, as always, trying to ignore the girls, which was nearly impossible, as they formed a circle around him. A very annoying, blushing, giggling circle. At some point he just grabbed some headphones and decided to zone out. Hinata felt more sorry than attracted to him.

"I-I don't think you sh-should have bothered..."

"And is it just me or does he look even more handsome this year?"

"I-I wouldn't know…"

"But he is! His eyes are darker! His lashes are longer! His hair is silkier! His muscles are bigger! And there is no trace of a tan on his skin! It's as porcelain white as ever! Do you know what that means, Hina?" Sakura almost screamed, now grabbing her friend by the collar, trying to get some fangirl-type reaction out of her. Not that she'd like it if Hinata was one. Then she'd have even more competition! But it unnerved her that her friend was so apathetic to the wonder that was Sasuke.

"T-that he stayed i-in?" The other girl said, tentatively.

"No! That this man is a god!" Sakura let go of her friend, sighting dramatically. Hinata smiled, used to her friend's drama. She tried to turn Sakura's attention away from the alleged god.

"Say, S-Sakura…do you know if t-there are any new s-students this year?"

The other girl shrugged.

"Probably not. Who'd transfer school in senior year? Besides…we don't need any new boys, right? I have Sasuke, and you have…"

Hinata shushed her friend, blushing. Sakura raised her eyebrows, teasing her.

"Good morning, students."

Most people groaned. Sakura and a few other girls cheerfully replied.

"I hope you all had your batteries charged during the summer, because now it's time to get back to work. I'll be handing you your timetables in…oh, it seems we have a new student. Care to introduce yourself?"

Everyone turned to where the teacher was looking. Most girls squealed vocally, some guys squaled mentally, as their eyes recognized Sasuke, who looked very annoyed.

"I'm not new." He said, in a low voice. Then he pointed to something on his right.

"He is." That something was a boy sitting next to him. "_Wait…a boy_?" Sakura thought. The person was certainly androgynous enough. It was obvious that no one had noticed him before (not with all the fangirls around Sasuke) because there was an echoed gasp. Sakura thought he ("_Sasuke did say he…_") looked generally uninviting. Short, messy blood-red hair, eyes the color of sea foam that the girl thought looked anything but nice, and, weirdest of all, a red kanji tattoo on his forehead. She couldn't make it out from where she was sitting. The person nodded and said "My name's Gaara."

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Tum-Dum-Dum! If you like making people happy, review! Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**On to chapter 2...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable.**

"Gaara, is it? So come on, tell us a bit about yourself!"

The boy didn't seem embarrassed to be the center of attention, but he didn't look at ease either. He sank slightly into his seat and replied.

"I'd rather not."

Everyone in the classroom gasped, except for the teacher (who chose to ignore Gaara's inpoliteness- kids these days…)and Sasuke, who was looking at the boy beside him with polite interest. Sakura leaned into Hinata and whispered, "He's weird." Her friend just shrugged, "M-maybe he's shy." Sakura wasn't convinced.

"Well then, let's begin class."

"I mean, you're shy, Hina, but you would never answer a teacher like that! Especially with everyone looking at you. You'd be polite, and seem friendly."

"I g-guess…" Hinata said, as they made their way to the cafeteria. "B-but maybe he's the t-type of person who doesn't n-need friends."

"Everyone does!"

"N-not everyone's the s-same, you know." Hinata said, a smile on her face to show she wasn't being critical. They went over to their table.

Most people from Konoha High knew each other from Konoha Junior High, and social circles were tightly knit. Sakura and Hinata, being always together and not belonging to a particular group, could afford to switch tables from time to time. They used to sit with the nice, slightly geeky girls from their year. Sometimes they'd sit by the Sasuke Uchiha fan club, but Sakura knew Hinata hated it. Besides, even she knew the environment was a bit _too _pressuring at times, with everyone trying to find new ways to impress the boy and, consequently, make her comrades less impressive.

"I wonder where _he_'s gonna sit."

"Wh-who, Sasuke?" Hinata asked.

"No, the new guy. He hasn't made any friends yet…and with that attitude he won't." Sakura said, huffing a bit. Hinata smiled, teasingly.

"Why d-does it bother you s-so much that some people aren't as f-friendly?"

"I know not everyone's friendly. It's just that I know I make an effort to be nice to everyone. Why wouldn't he, when he's new, and needs friends so obviously ?"

"Uh…S-Sakura…" Hinata said tentatively. "You're n-not nice to _everyone_."  
"Of course I am!" Sakura put her hand over her heart, her face in a dramatic pose. "I always try to plant a little flower of good in everyone's garden."

"W-well, what about I-Ino? Or…" She lowered her voice."N-Naruto..."

"I have reasons for those two! Ino's my rival, and Naruto is…well, he's just annoying!"

Hinata sighted, not really minding her friend's antics.

"He m-might sit with the D-Drama club…"

"Who? What?"

"G-Gaara. He _does_ h-have the look…" Sakura nodded vehemently, her mouth full of food. When she swallowed, she leaned over and whispered, in a conspirational tone.

"I think he'd fit in with the emo kids."

Hinata was puzzled.

"Why the n-need to whisper?"

Sakura looked around before answering. "They scare me. Once I was in the bathroom, and there was this emo girl doing her hair in the mirror. When I told her she had done a great job because she looked just like Ashlee Simpson with black hair, she started crying and locked herself in one of the stalls."

Hinata tried not to laugh. "Y-you need to know h-how to approach your p-public."

"But I was paying her a compliment!"

Both girls stopped talking as they watched a recently-familiar redhead make his way to the waiting line for lunch, tray in his hands. Everything about him screamed "I don't want to be here": from the headphones, to the hostile look on his face, to his black t-shirt with some band Sakura didn't know, black skinny jeans, combat boots, and various studded accessories. The line moved up and he was collecting his lunch, and was coming dangerously close to paying and finding a place to sit. Sakura, Hinata, and probably the rest of Konoha High were watching anxiously. _Where would the new kid sit?_ This question seemed to carry the weight of the world, at the moment. Where he chose to sit would influence how and if he would fit in, with which crowd, what reputation he would have to live up to every day, what kind of social life he would have, and, consequently, all of this would affect his teenage life and his memories of it for years to come. A person's happiness was at stake here!

Not that Gaara seemed to be aware of any of this (his happiness-threatening decision or the number of eyes on him). When he finally finished paying for his meal, and moved away from the line, standing where he could see every table, Konoha High fell quiet. The only sounds that didn't feel the pressure of this moment where the lunch ladies yelling "Next!" and the Computer club's portable…ahm…computers' _beeps_. Gaara didn't seem fazed, or aware, as he scanned the tables with his eyes, looking as collected as ever.

The Sports table, including jocks and cheerleaders, was a suicide attempt for Gaara. The Computer club and the School band were nice enough, but not everyone could handle their topics of interest. The Drama club table was full. So was the Sasuke Uchiha fan club table (which wouldn't have exactly been a first choice for any straight guy).

Suddenly, it seemed like he had been standing there, in front of the whole school, for something resembling too much time. The tension was mounting, although the boy in question gave no exterior sign of it.

Without warning, Gaara's feet began to, slowly but surely, move. In some direction.

A girl gasped. He was heading for the Artsy Gay table.

Eyes widened and mouths opened. If his butt touched that plastic chair, his high school life was over.

Sakura whispered hurriedly, "I've got half a mind to get up and ask him to sit with us." She was actually considering it. It would be better to sit with the girls and be a regular gay than be an Artsy gay.

She placed her hands on the table, about to get up and go over to him, to save him from the imminent danger. Even if he looked at her meanly.

Then, out of nowhere, steps. Coming from one of the last tables. The table where a bunch of regular guys had sat for years. The table where Sasuke Uchiha sat.

A loud gasp was heard, echoed by some others. The steps where directed to where Gaara stood, about to pull a chair to sit down. Sasuke whispered. Gaara looked at him, an impassive look in his eyes, whispered something back, and followed him to his table. Some moments of quiet followed, and then everyone resumed eating. And just like that, Gaara's (social) life was no longer in peril.

"He's l-lucky that Sasuke w-was so n-nice." said Hinata. Sakura nodded, relieved that her help wasn't needed and that it hadn't been refused either.

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**A/N: Just as a note, I have NOTHING against gay people, or any other people for that manner, I'm a very loving person 3. I'm not critisizing the Artsy gay types, if they do exist; I'm just depicting the way things would work if they did. At least in my school, if there was such a group, well, it wouldn't be the most respected one.**

**I have a lot of fun writing this american-style high school scenes, because I've never been to a public school, or any school that worked like american schools do in movies. So, yeah...**

**Thanks for reading, whoever you are! I'd like to hear your opinion, it's just like 3 seconds of your life! Yeah, you know what I'm talking about...a review! A bunch of sentences that lets me know what you think and how I can improve. Don't be shy, I appreciate constructive criticism. **

**To last chapter's reviewers:**

**Lela Rye****: Thanks, keep writing! **

**phantomofthedarkness****: Yeah, Sakura is a total fan-girl in my mind. And since there is no ninja drama here, she could be older and still be a fan-girl. Thanks for the review and for adding me to like, all your favorites and alerts! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or anything else recognizable. Even the plot isn't _that_ original.

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Having finished their lunch, Sakura and Hinata went for a stroll around the school, while their next class didn't start

Having finished their lunch, Sakura and Hinata went for a stroll around the school, while their next class didn't start. Konoha High had been lucky – for a public school, it looked pretty good. There were five pavilions, three of them for classrooms, one for the gym and locker rooms, on the bottom floor, and the many different clubs' rooms on the upper floor, and another pavilion for the cafeteria and library. The school had been neatly designed, with small trees lining the stoned path connecting the pavilions, the entrance gates, the field for outdoors sports and a small outdoors lounging area where the stoned path ended, giving place to tall, cheerful grass, on which some wooden benches had been built.

"What class is next?" inquired Sakura lazily, sitting on one of the benches with Hinata.

"H-Home Economics." the latter replied, having checked her timetable. They still had some time to waste.

"Hey, Hina…isn't it weird? How next year we won't be here?"

"What d-do you mean?"

"You know…we've spent four years in this school. Getting used to it, living in it. It's been such a big part of our lives, hasn't it? And in a few months, we won't be here."

Hinata looked at her friend, smiling. To others, Sakura could seem to be a silly girl. Book-smart, but silly. People usually thought that of people who were naturally cheerful for no reason. But Hinata knew her friend well and, despite this appearance, she knew Sakura could be insightful and serious sometimes. She just needed the right stimulus.

"That's t-true. In a way, it's been our s-second home. But it's n-natural that we should m-move away…"

"Yeah, but…you see all these people?" Hinata looked at the many teenagers walking from one place to another. "When we're gone, they will still be here. And others will come after. So when you look, it's like nothing's changed…" Sakura was looking at the people walking around in a distant manner.

"Things d-do change. Sakura…ma-maybe you don't want to a-acknowledge that because y-you're not sure…of where you're going…right?" Sakura looked at her friend, and they shared a look of understanding that spoke a million words. They sat in the bench for a few more minutes, not saying a word and just enjoying the each other's presence.

xxx

"Hold on, I need to use the bathroom." Sakura whispered, as they made their way to Home Economics through the thick crowd. Hinata nodded and they changed their direction. Sakura hurried into one of the stalls, while Hinata waited for her.

"Aw, crap!"

"What is i-it?" Hinata asked worriedly. Sakura opened the door to her stall just a teeny bit so she could see her friend. Hinata blushed, seeing Sakura sitting on the toilet with her stained underwear down.

"My period, Hina…could you get me some pads? I don't have any…"

"Wait, I h-have some in my l-locker…"

Sakura closed her door, and heard the shuffle of Hinata's feet. She made herself busy by reading the words on the door: mottos, _(insert name) was here_, love messages. A few moments later, she heard someone coming in. Class had already started, so it couldn't be anyone other than Hinata.

"_Strange…her locker is a bit far from here…_ " Sakura thought, but quickly dismissed it, wanting to get to class as quickly as possible.

"Hina, pass it quick under the door…" She stopped mid-sentence to groan. "God, Hina, my tummy's hurting so bad! And I can already tell this is one of those bad months, the ones when even my you-know-what hurts and I can't walk straight."

No answer or pad-passing, for that matter. Just steps and the sound of a door-lock, which meant the stranger had gone into one of the stalls. Sakura was beginning to feel anxious. "_It's someone else…_" she thought, cringing at the thought of having exposed her monthly dilemmas to a complete stranger. The stranger, however, didn't talk back, and a few very uncomfortable seconds went by.

She had two options: she could leave right now, not facing the stranger, risking, however, staining her underwear even more; or she could wait for Hinata, but by the time she got here and gave her that damned pad, the person would be coming out and she would have to face her. Sakura held her clenched fist in front of herself, dramatically. There was no other acceptable option. Her dignity had to be preserved. She stuffed some toilet paper on her underwear, pulled up her pants, and opened the door, making a run for it. But alas, the now infamous you-know-what pain and the uncomfortable feel of the toilet paper combined provided little conditions to run, so Sakura ended up tripping over herself, falling on her face painfully.

"_Eww…bathroom floor…_" She thought, humiliated as she had never been. The stranger didn't react to her loud fall and subsequent squeak. Sakura had to get up, fast. But as she positioned her hands on the hopefully not icky floor to lever herself up, she noticed that she had fallen in front of the stall the stranger was occupying. The black jeaned, combat boot-wearing stranger. The wheels in her head started turning, and as the truth dawned on her, her eyes widened in horror.

"S-Sakura, what are you d-doing on the floor?"

Angels were singing hallelujah. Sakura glanced quickly upwards with an expression of awe, before finally getting up. She grabbed her startled friend by the arm and pulled her into the other girls' bathroom on the upper floor.

"Sakura, we're al-already late as i-it is!"

"I'll explain when we get there." Sakura told her impatiently. This was her worst first day ever. Mistaking the new kid for her friend, unknowingly telling him about her womanly cycle, along with falling on her face in front of his stall, was _so_ not cool.

Hinata and Sakura were now running to their classroom on the lower floor. Now that Sakura felt a bit more…comfortable…she started to analyze what had happened. But just what was a guy doing in the girls' bathroom? Could he possibly be…a peeping tom? Oh no, worse…he had sat with Sasuke at lunch! Would he tell him? Would her prince charming think she was gross and not-so-perfect for getting cramps and pains where the sun doesn't shine? Sakura couldn't stop running, but on her inside, she was panicking. If Sasuke knew about this, she would be so embarrassed. She would never be able to face him again.

They finally got to their classroom and, after giving the teacher some random excuse, went to their seats. Sakura's face turned red in alarm, as she noticed both Gaara and Sasuke were in this class. She sat down and tried to take deep breaths. "_Nothing I can do about it now…_"

"Ok, so now that we are all here, I'd like to tell you all about this semester's project. You will be working in pairs. This project is meant to enhance your awareness of what it's like to build and manage a family."

Most of the boys groaned. This didn't sound good, but Home Economics happened to be mandatory in Konoha High. Sakura perked up – she had a chance of spending time with Sasuke, if they got paired up.

"So, I'm going to organize you into pairs, and then I'll explain the rest of the details. Uh…Ino, and…Choji?" Sakura mentally raised her fist in the air. One down, and several more to go. But Ino was her most vicious competition, so this meant her chances had gone considerably up.

Everyone started talking, and trying to listen to the teacher became unfruitful. So far, he hadn't gestured towards Sasuke. She wanted to turn and look at him, but couldn't – he was sitting next to the new kid. It would only add to her embarrassment. He might remember what happened in the bathroom and tell Sasuke, if he hadn't already.

"Hinata and…Naruto."

"Oh!" Hinata gasped and almost fainted, had Sakura not held her and slapped her face lightly. The teacher didn't seem to notice, being as engrossed as he was in pairing people up. Maybe he really believed he was creating new families. Hinata came to, blushing madly. Naruto turned to her and flashed a friendly smile, winking at Sakura. Hinata proceeded to bury her face in her hands, to hide her blush.

Minutes went by, as the teacher paired more people up and Sakura pep-talked Hinata.

"Uh oh, it seems we've got ourselves a special family here!" She heard the teacher say in sing-song, suddenly realizing he was close to her desk. She thought that he meant Hinata and herself were very good friends, until he motioned over to someone some desks away from Sakura.

"There are three people left, and while I could make someone work alone, I want you to learn teamwork. Sakura, Sasuke and…Gaara, right?"

As soon as her mind registered these words, she exclaimed "What?!" Never in her life had she wanted to jump, dance, sing, cry, and kill someone at the same time. The teacher had the same silly smile on his face.

"A special family of three!" He cried, as if this were something to celebrate. Sasuke! She was working with Sasuke! He would actually have to talk back to her! But…Gaara…and the bathroom…

"Don't w-worry…you'll be f-fine…"

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**A/N: So very very sorry for the late update! I've been busy (haven't we all been?), first week of school and all. But hey, you got a slightly bigger chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. If you feel like it, do waste 10 seconds of your time and tell me what you think! I've no problems with constructive criticism, come on, I can take it. Now, on to the message-thingies...(which is basically how I respond to the people who review)**

**phantomofthedarkness: Again, thanks so much! Hope you liked this one.**

**dfag: Thanks, hope you liked it. Keep reading!**

**Akasuna no Akane: Thanks so much for your review. I know, it's not the most original idea, but it's a challenge this way. I have to make mine stand out :) Hope you'll keep reading. **

**Lela Rye: Thanks! Sometimes I struggle with English, so hearing that is a big relief. Keep reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**At long last...chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or anything else recognizable, except the plot.**

"Now, everybody sit next to his or her partner, so I can explain the details of this project."

"See ya." Sakura whispered to Hinata, winking. "And good luck."

Hinata blushed and gathered her things, as she went, shakily, to sit by Naruto. Sakura grabbed her own notebook and pencil case and made her way over to Gaara and Sasuke, ignoring the death glares most girls were sending her. The nervousness she had felt before at the prospect of having to work with Gaara faded, as soon as she caught a glimpse of her dear Uchiha's gorgeous face. This would be the first time since she had met Sasuke six years ago that they would be actually talking to each other! Trying to purge all negative thoughts from her mind ("_does he like what I'm wearing? Oh god, I hope my barrette distracts him from my forehead…and please, make Gaara forget the bathroom thing!"_), she took deep breaths to calm herself as she walked. It was best to be serene – chances like this didn't come around often! She just hoped Hinata would rip a page off the same book…

She couldn't hide her smile, and didn't even care if she looked silly, as she grabbed a nearby chair and sat in front of Sasuke's desk, placing her things on her lap. He acknowledged her with a nod.

"Hey…Sakura, right?"

Her eyes widened in shock. Sasuke Uchiha knew her _name_?? She giggled nervously for a few seconds, before she came to the brilliant conclusion that she should probably answer him.

"Ahm…yeah." He nodded again and looked away from her, trying to read the blackboard. She took this chance to gaze, as she had many times before, only not this close, at his very handsome, aristocratic-looking face. Then a thought occurred to her.

"I was the brains behind last years' petition to change the soccer team's name!" She declared proudly. Sasuke looked back at her politely.

"Hmm…right." He answered, obviously unsure of what to say. "That was…an interesting idea…but uh…maybe you shouldn't waste so much of your time on things like that, you know?"

Sakura frowned. Her inner self was baffled. An interesting idea? It had been a great idea! He should feel honored! But…of course. Sasuke was just being modest and humble. He really _was_ perfect! She mentally squealed.

"Like on what?"

"I don't know…more constructive things. Like reading…or studying…"

She hhmed in understanding. Yes, of course Sasuke wouldn't want a dumb girlfriend. It made sense that he would want her to be at least as smart as him.

Suddenly, she realized she hadn't said anything to Gaara yet. Not that he seemed the least but troubled by it, apparently staring off into the distance. But what should she say?

"Hi…Gaara, is it?" She said, smiling cheerfully. She decided to take the friendly approach: he was new in school, as unapproachable as he seemed, and besides, it was best if he didn't know she knew it had been him in that stall. If he knew she was this terribly embarrassed of it, it might fuel his decision to tell Sasuke.

The boy looked at her, letting a slight startle awaken his impassive face at having been disturbed.

"Yes." His voice was low and, Sakura noted, not very comforting to hear. It wasn't like Hinata's calm, warm voice; or Sasuke's inviting and smooth one. Now that she was sitting across from him, she could read the kanji on his forehead, somewhat hidden by the mess of red hair.

"_Love_?" What kind of guy got that tattooed on his forehead? As a matter of fact, what kind of guy went into girls' bathrooms? And just _what_ kind of guy didn't try and make conversation with his partner he didn't know, who he'd be working with for six months? "_Maybe he's shy_", Hinata had said. Sakura decided to believe that for the time being. She smiled at him.

"Hi Gaara, I'm Sakura. So…what do you think of our school so far?"

Same impassive look. "Fine, I guess."

The girl found herself not knowing what else to say. She didn't need to worry, however, because the teacher started to speak and everyone turned to him.

"Right, now that you're all organized, I'll explain what this project is about. Each family is going to take care of a pretend baby, in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, I'll be teaching you the very basics of baby care, which you are to practice at home and report in paper for me to evaluate the next day. Any questions?"

"Yes, why are we learning stuff about babies in Home Economics? I thought we'd be learning how to cook and sew and stuff. Nothing _this_ troublesome…" said a guy sitting next to Naruto. He voiced the general masculine point of view: after he spoke, many other guys started to demand the teacher the same thing.

"Now, now, don't be such spoil sports. Like you said, Shikamaru, I'm teaching you _Home_ Economics. And every home should ring with children's laughter and the sweet patter of their feet. Now that this is settled, here are your new babies!" Ignoring the guys' "buts!", the teacher enthusiastically dived under his desk and brought out a cardboard box filled with naked, plastic baby dolls, the kind that is approximately a one-month baby's size and that every four-year old girl plays with. He then went around giving each pair (and trio) a baby. As Sakura happily held theirs under the doll's armpits, she took the chance to look at her partners. They were both looking at it, Sasuke as if analyzing it and Gaara as if thinking of ways to chop its head off.

"So…what do you think?" She said smiling, turning the doll to face them and waving it.

"It's…uh…cute, I guess." Sasuke said, evasively. Then, with a half-smile. "Doesn't look like it's ours, though."

Sakura laughed, happy that they were having a conversation, and had to agree. The baby was tan with blue eyes.

"Well, he has to be adopted anyway."

"Why?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Uh…family of three?" Sakura said awkwardly, gesturing to herself and the two boys. Sasuke blushed and nodded. Sakura mentally sighted. She definitely wouldn't mind being a family of two with Sasuke, with an adopted baby or otherwise. She thought it would be nice to bring Gaara into the conversation, so she pointed at the doll's head and looked at him.

"I think your eyes are the closest to his." He looked once at the doll and then away.

"It's just a _doll_." He said, in a tone that indicated it was best if she gave up. She didn't; she wouldn't, and as she was about to open her mouth and defend herself, he got an idea and said, sneering "And besides, think of what you're implying, seen as you're the only female here and I'm the male he supposedly takes after." He didn't even care for her reaction, as he went back to his shutdown from the world mode, half-closing his eyes and resting his head on his knuckles. Sakura was blushing from embarrassment and shock, and Sasuke looked as if he didn't know what to do, but his eyes twinkled for a moment, as if expecting Sakura's reaction. Oh, she reacted.

"You wish." Her inner self was shocked. Hell, her outer self looked shocked at her own response. What had she said? This wasn't a normal Sakura comeback. Typically she'd call him an idiot. Gaara looked her in the face.

"I didn't say that." He wasn't sneering and it didn't sound like a comeback; he looked confused and a little annoyed, as if clarifying a misunderstanding. Sakura blushed even more, almost outdoing Hinata, as she realized she didn't know what to say.

"Oh. Ok."

"_WHAT??_" screamed her inner self in fury. What she had said was forfeiting the argument. Sakura never forfeited! She always had the last word. "_This kid is just plain weird_" she thought, somewhat comforting her bruised ego. She couldn't look at Sasuke, afraid he'd laugh at her. She was saved again by the teacher.

"Your first classroom assignment is to name your baby, with a given name and a surname. Name him anything you want! The real challenge here is teamwork. Both people have to agree with the name. Any questions?"

"Yes, how do we figure out the sex? The babies aren't anatomically correct…"

"Use your imagination, Shikamaru!"

"So, is ours a boy or a girl?" Sasuke said, trying to relieve the tension between his two partners. Sakura looked at the doll still in her arms thoughtfully.

"He strikes me more as a boy. His hair is very short and his eyelashes are small."

"Yeah, but baby girls can have short hair."

"Make him a boy." said Gaara. Out of boredom, annoyance at having to pick a sex for a doll, or genuine interest, Sakura couldn't tell.

"Okay…we have a baby boy. So…for the surname…"

"Isn't Gaara the father?" Sasuke said, smiling to show her he was joking. Gaara looked up at hearing his name but said nothing. Sakura ignored the slight embarrassment and replied playfully.

"Then what are you?"

"Ah…the breadwinner. I bring the bacon and you two stay at home."

Sakura laughed despite herself.

"Maybe it's best if we write both your names on paper and pick one randomly."

"Or maybe he can have your name, and it's like you're a single mom and we're just your friends. Gaara, what do you think?"

"I dunno." He replied in a low voice.

"Come on, teamwork here." Sasuke said insistently.

"Fine…take the beginning of each of our surnames and make up a new one."

"That's not a bad idea." Sakura said, trying to be friendly again. "So we're Uchiha, Haruno and…what's yours?"

"...Sabaku."

"Everyone ok with Hachiku?" said Sasuke. "_He's such a fast thinker_..." Sakura couldn't help but think, dreamily.

"Fine." The other boy said, shrugging. "We still need a first name…" He stopped. Someone had come over to them, a boy Sakura didn't know. From what she could see, he was tall and had a long blond ponytail. He came to Gaara's eye level and looked intently at his face. The red headed boy didn't bother masking his annoyance.

"Need anything?" The stranger smirked, got up, and backed away.

"Just what kind of fag gets love written on his forehead, yeah?" His voice was high-pitched, annoying, and attention-grabbing. He was pointing at Gaara's forehead and looking at other people, as if coaxing them to join in on the "fun". Everyone was speaking loudly, so the teacher didn't notice anything.

Gaara just looked at him like he was disgusting and ignored him. The blond boy kept laughing. Looking at Gaara, and taking in everything they had said to each other so far, suddenly, something snapped in her head, and Sakura got up from her seat and stabbed a finger on the blond's chest violently.

"Do you want "_I got punched by a girl_" written on _your_ forehead?"

* * *

**A/N: Cliffie! Sorry, but I have to keep you people interested. I am so sorry for the late update! I've been writing this chapter for about a week now, I was slightly blocked.  
I hope you people like it; I'm pretty happy with it. It's the first time you see everyone interacting with each other, and it finally feels like the story is going somewhere.  
I know Sasuke is a but OOC, but in this universe there was no Uchiha massacre, which I think had a tremendous impact on his character. We'll find out more about his family in a while.  
Please forgive me if Deidara's weird. I don't know his character (I've only read a couple of tankobon and seen the anime's first two seasons), but I needed a bully and he usually is one on other high school fanfics.  
**

**Akasuna no Akane and Lela Rye, thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed this one. Keep telling me what you think!**

**On a side note, a few days ago I tried this Reader Traffic thing on my user page. Not a lot of people visit this story, but still, I had no idea that the ones that do came from all over the world! Like Serbia, Indonesia...and I was especially surprised to know that in the graph thing, where it shows the countries with the most visitors, Portugal was in 4th place! (it's where I live by the way). So forgive me, non-portuguese speakers, but I need to address my people stands on podium:**

**Olá, pessoa que está a ler isto por interesse ou acaso! Não fazia ideia que em Portugal houvesse tantos fãs de Naruto (é o que diz no site da Sic Radical, que é dos programas com maior audiência ou assim)...mas também só me interessei há uns meses quando o anime começou a dar.  
E por falar na Sic Radical, ando chateada desde sexta, quando tava na paz do meu senhor à espera do episódio novo e começa a dar o primeiro da primeira temporada. Alguém sabe como é que posso ver o resto da série? Comprar na fnac? Arranjar a Animax? Esperar pacientemente por um milagre da Sic Radical? Agradecia imensamente que alguém me dissesse qualquer coisa.  
Foi um momento engraçado, mas agora tenho de trocar de língua, assumo que não se importem (senão não tinham lido a história em inglês).**

**Time for farewell. Thanks so much for reading! And remember, I live for reviews! **

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	5. Chapter 5

**At long last...chap 5!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, John Cena (is he a trademark?), Dance Dance Revolution, or anything else recognizable, except the plot.**

The blond boy's gaze slowly went from his chest, where she had jabbed her finger, to her face, slightly stunned as if he doubted what he had heard. The few people sitting around them whose attention he had been able to grab forgot the baby naming and quieted down, watching the scene with moderate interest. Sakura kept her cool, trying her best to look defiant– a jabbing finger wasn't "don't mess" enough.

Inside, though, every inner self she had was screaming for her to stop this. Apart from vicious arguments with other Sasuke fan girls, and occasionally smacking Naruto upside the head when they were kids, she didn't confront people directly like this, much less a stranger, and a bully at that. Not even for Hinata. It just didn't seem worth it. Picking on Hinata's weight or her own unusual pink hair didn't make the person thin; it didn't make his or her hair any better, and their lack of integrity made Sakura feel like that person needed a lot of things, but not a comeback.

She wouldn't want to get in trouble either.

So what she had done was completely different from the way she would usually act, and she felt free like she hadn't in a long time…or maybe never had. She didn't have to act like herself, she could do anything. Was that good?

This freedom and the fact that there was no going back now gave her the guts to keep going.

"Did I stutter?"

A low "_ooh…_" was heard from the people watching the scene. The boy looked stupidly shocked, but a smirk quickly came over his features, as he gestured at Gaara, who was watching the scene like the least romantic person watches a sappy love scene.

"No need to get so worked up over your boyfriend."

More "_ooh…_"s followed, not loud enough for the teacher to notice among the agitated classroom, thankfully. The boy's gesture made Sakura look at Gaara and remember he was the reason as to why she had begun this. "_I'm…defending him…_" She thought, and suddenly she felt a tinge of regret, as she realized that from what she knew of him, he didn't seem like he needed anyone defending him. "_Maybe he thinks I'm being stupid…_"

"He's not my boyfriend, and if you pull a stunt like this again, I'll be sure to report you. Got it?"

This time, no "_ooh…_"s. Everyone turned back to what they were doing. This was The Last Word. Her opponent was visibly stunned, as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry and before he could reply, Sakura sat back down and turned her back to him. She breathed out a sigh a relief she didn't know she had been holding when she heard his steps, walking to the other side of the room.

"Nice. Deidara's never been told off like that before." Said Sasuke, in an amused tone. Sakura looked up to him, slightly dizzy from the nerves and the pressure.

"You know him?"

"My brother hangs with him sometimes." He said, dismissively; and Sakura knew she shouldn't push it. There was nothing else to say about what had happened anyway, although she sneaked a peak in Gaara's direction. She wanted to see…anything, a reaction, a small thank you. He had been scribbling on his notebook, resting his chin on his arm; upon noticing her looking at him, he sighted, and looked her in the eye.

"I don't know what you want me to say, but just so you know, all that bravado doesn't mean shit to me. "

The moment he said it, looking at her, _through_ her, with those sea-like green eyes, she felt cold. _He_ looked cold. And it took her a moment to look away from him, get her thoughts together and ask Sasuke, who had been staring at the two of them, trying not to let any emotion come over her voice.

"So, we still need a first name."

xxx

"_She must have told him off_." Hinata thought. "_She's not like me, she can handle herself…I wish…_"

"Hey, Hinata…aren't you listening?"

"Na-Naruto! I-I'm so-so sorry…!" She really was. She thought he wouldn't notice her looking away (not while he was going on and on about how despite John Cena being his favorite wrestler, "John" was much too common for a baby). At least when she had been looking over her shoulder, worrying over Sakura, she'd been in a Naruto-free world: a peaceful, panic-free place where a certain guy's presence didn't make her stutter even more than she usually did, blush so hard if felt like her cheeks would fall off, and spend a half hour trying to form a comprehensible sentence.

Now, she was back in the real world, stutter, blush, wishing she'd never been born and all. While she was trying to get all of her panicky thoughts together so she could explain, he was looking over her, in Sakura's direction. His face went grim. She was starting to wish she hadn't been paired up with him at all.

"It's ok, Hinata, you don't have to explain." Naruto said, looking down.

"Wha-what…?" Now she wasn't getting this. Would he think she was stupid? Could this get any worse?

"I get it, really. Any girl would rather be with Sasuke than with me."

xxx

"Ohmigod, what did you say next?" Sakura squealed. After their emotional rollercoaster of a day, Sakura had invited Hinata over to her place, since both her parents were working and they had the house to themselves. After Sakura had squealed her head off (about how sweet and nice and perfect Sasuke had been and how them looking after a baby, albeit a doll, was a total omen of how they were meant to be together), they decided to drown their sorrows in all kinds of sugary drinks and snacks, and were now in Sakura's room, Sakura lying on top of her bed, on her back, head dangling off the edge so she could see Hinata, who was sitting in a bean bag chair, clutching a pillow over her face.

"I…I…I was s-so nervous b-by then..I co-couldn't help i-it…I…I told h-him…th-there was no o-one else I-I'd rather b-be with!" Her last words were a muffled cry, from behind the pillow now covering her face. Sakura started to giggle.

"I-It's not fu-funny!" Hinata cried.

"It is, it really is…you wanna compare your tragedy to mine? At least now he knows you like him…sort of…"

"Th-That's the wh-whole point! I didn't wa-want him to-to!" She threw the pillow over to Sakura, who caught it deftly.

"Hina, don't worry. First off, Naruto's an idiot. He probably doesn't realize you like him. And second, he's a nice idiot. If he knew, he'd either thank you or…tell you he liked you too."

"No-No way…" Her friend muttered, a faraway look on her face. Sakura knew it always came down to Hinata's insecurities, but she believed it was a matter of time and the right circumstances for Hinata to realize how great she was.

"Don't be so pessimistic. Besides, your problem isn't as big as mine."

"Y-You mean Gaa-Gaara?"

"Gaara, and the fact that I could have gotten myself in serious trouble…I don't know…I don't know anything." Sakura replied, looking confused. She lifted herself off the bed and came to sit on the floor in front of Hinata. "I don't understand what happened. He's not nice, or friendly, or even remotely approachable. But I still felt like I needed to stand up for him, you know? And then he says it didn't mean anything. Even though I did it for him. And he didn't even mention what happened in the bathroom. He's so weird, I can't understand anything about him. It's all so confusing."

"Sa-Sakura…maybe…you just ho-honestly wanted to help h-him?" Hinata tried.

"Why would I? He didn't even look like he needed my help. He just stood there, all stone-faced. He _is_ stone-faced, and frustrating, and he doesn't _talk_ to people, and if it weren't for Sasuke, he wouldn't have made a single friend, ever."

"Th-Then maybe…deep do-down…you felt so-sorry for him…" Her friend said, more tentatively and shyly this time. It wasn't a nice thing to say or hear. Sakura shook her head, pensively.

"No. That would mean I thought less of him, and that's not it. I don't know _what_ to think of him. Maybe I just wanted something out of him…something I could read…" She left her sentence as if unfinished. "Argh, it's no good thinking about it now, it's too confusing and it doesn't matter anyway." She put on her happy face and crawled over to her TV, reaching for something under the table it was on. "Now, let's stomp some dust."

Hinata smiled, Sakura did know how to get her spirits up. She walked over to her friend and helped her setup the Dance Dance Revolution pad.

"A-Agreed."

* * *

**A/N: Hooray for Dance Dance Revolution! It seems like so much fun, though I've never played it, which is sad, considering that I lived in China for most of my life and that arcades there are pretty much like in Japan. Anyway, back to the story.**

**I know it took me FOREVER to write this. I've had a lot to deal with right not, school work and stuff. I can't promise to write anymore than a chapter a week.**

**And I'll be even more busy now, 'cause I've started my french and english classes. And I need to catch up on math (I suck at math, like, tremendously). And I'm also doing this thing for a friend's birthday, me and some friends are putting together this mock-oscars cerimony. We're taking youtube videos of celebrities on the red carpet and putting our voices on top and...well, the idea's interesting, but it's a lot of work.**

**And I'm turning 17 in two weeks! Hooray! I'll be 17 on the 17th, which probably means something. In portuguese, we call this "marrying your age", but it doesn't have a supersticious meaning or anything. And the presents are on the way, tee hee: I asked my mom for a Nintendo DS, which are around 150 euros, but I found this store that's selling pink DS lites with Cooking Mama for 160! And I asked my dad for a Naruto plushie that I haven't chosen yet, because Amazon is a bitch. I wanted this majorly cute Hinata, but it turns out it doesn't ship to Portugal, so then I asked for this even cuter Sasuke, but the shipping rates were too expensive, and now I don't know what to ask for. I'm thinking either Gaara or Jiraya. 14inch tall Shippuden Sasuke is Da King of all plushies, but I haven't seen Shippuden yet, how weird would it be?**

**I should probably get to the review-thanking thing, right? Ok, here it goes:**

**Cheekydemon: Thanks for reviewing chap 2 and 4! Sorry, no punching. I wouldn't want Sakura to get detention.**

**a thousand cranes: Sakura really is a bit immature, but that's the whole point of the title! :D Thanks for reviewing.**

**Akasuna no Akane: You're a faithful reader! No beating up Deidara, sorry. What is with you people and violence?! Thanks, keep reading!**

**Lela Rye: Another faithful reader! Hachiku might just be an actual name, I've no idea. Haruno+Uchiha+SabakuHachiku! Thanks for the review, keep reading!**

**and finally mystical spirits: I've already said thanks anyway :D Hope you enjoyed it, your criticism means a lot.**

**Stupid alerts not working, whatever happened to you, phantomofthedarkness? **

**And to everyone else, thanks for reading, hope you liked it, review if you please!**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Own nothing recognizable except plot.**

* * *

Another day and, like most others, it begins when people wake up, which Sakura did, to her mother's yells urging her to get up. She did and went to take a shower, annoyed at her mom but reluctantly glad she was on time today. She showered, got dressed, grabbed some breakfast, got on her dad's car and met an oddly fidgeting Hinata by the school gates.

"Good mo-morning." Sakura said something noncommittal and they made their way to their classroom.

At first, she hadn't given it much thought, but now Sakura could see how Hinata was walking behind her on purpose, like she was hiding. She also held her books protectively over her chest, and was looking around a lot.

"Hina, are you…hiding?" Said girl blushed like on cue and squealed what sounded like a no.

"Is it Naruto?"

"Shhhh!" Hinata shushed, blushing even more, flapping her hand back and forth excitedly in a "no" motion. Sakura smirked, and decided not to push her friend. Obviously, Hinata was afraid of facing Naruto after what she had said the day before. There was nothing else she could do, she had already comforted her friend and told her repeatedly how everything would be cool with Naruto. She did, however, slow down her pace for Hinata's hiding purposes. That's what friends are for.

They got to class and sat down. Sakura scanned the room for Sasuke and found him, seemingly in the same place she had left him the day before. She waved happily at him, stretching her arm so as to make it visible over the fan girls surrounding him, like every other day. Sasuke was sitting with his arms crossed and a look of displeasure, obviously meant to send the girls away but unintentionally making them blush and giggle. He looked up from the small crowd at Sakura's waving arm and nodded, discreetly smirking. She smiled back at him through the girls, letting her eyes innocently wander through his fitted t-shirt, trendy dark jeans and black vans.

"Sakura…o-over here…" She heard her friend say teasingly. Sakura turned back to her and they started chatting about some random TV show. When Naruto came into the classroom and practically shouted Hinata a very friendly hello, Sakura had to keep her conversation steady so her friend wouldn't faint from over-circulation, her face being almost tinted purple.

Sakura's day went through its usual motions: classes and lunch, the only differences being that Sasuke actually acknowledged her, Hinata switched from being playful about Sasuke to hiding behind books whenever Naruto came into view, and Gaara…well, he existed, and he didn't, last year. She hadn't seen him yet, but hadn't made the effort either.

It was now time for the either dreaded, or desired, Home Economics class.

"Good day to everyone!" exclaimed their cheerful teacher as he entered the classroom. He didn't carry any kind of bag with him. "Um, I've actually got a thing I need to do today…real important too…so, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to give you class today."

Someone started clapping but quickly stopped. "But, um, we can do it like this, each pair will hand me a report tomorrow about how they relate to their baby offspring. I'll grade it and it'll be like we had class anyway. Just don't tell anyone downstairs, okay?" He said, winking. By "downstairs", Sakura thought, he probably meant the principal or anyone else working for the school. It was obvious that his motive for skipping on his job wasn't so legit, and if there was one thing Sakura liked, it was a sloppy teacher. She sighted, at least she could work for her grade.

"So, um…see you all tomorrow!" He said smiling, leaving hurriedly. The classroom erupted with the sounds of chairs grinding against the floor, people getting up, chatting and packing their things to leave.

"You know what _this_ means, right, Hina?" Sakura asked excitedly. Hinata shook her head. "You have to work with Naruto, and I with Sasuke, outside of school!" Hinata's eyed widened in terror. As if on cue, Naruto appeared beside them, the excited look on his face very similar to Sakura's.

"Hey Hinata, how about we do this report at my place, after school? I can drive us there and back to your place." There was a tinge of pride in his voice, probably at the fact that he could drive. Hinata could only stare at him and mumble quietly.

"She'd love to." Sakura replied smoothly. Naruto beamed.

"Okay, wait for me by the gates!"

He ran from the room to catch his friends. Hinata stood stuck to the same spot. "Do the gods love you or _what_, huh?" Her pink-haired friend stuck her tongue out playfully, packing her things for her along with her own. "Now let's hope some of that love rubbed off on me." She said bravely, sticking out her chest and heading for Sasuke, leaving Hinata behind. He had his things already packed and was by the window, looking at the fields, talking quietly to Gaara, who was by his side.

"Hey, boys…uhm…should we meet up after school? To do this report?" Both boys turned to face her. Sakura noticed that Gaara, like Sasuke, had a consistent style he wore every day. Another band t-shirt, dark grey skinny jeans, incredibly old-looking converse shoes, and a spiked leather collar. She looked away from him, choosing to look at Sasuke, who scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, I guess we could go to my brother's place, he can drive us there. He'll just be in his room so he won't bother us. Is that fine with you?" He said, looking at the other two. Gaara curtly replied "Fine". Sakura nodded cheerfully.

"So, I'll see you two later."

Xxx

"Do you not get the _dimension_ of this?" Sakura said loudly, gesturing with her hands as if mimicking something big. "I mean, his place! I'm going to his place!"

"Isn't it h-his brother's p-place?" she heard Hinata say, in a considerably lower tone. They were in the girls' bathroom. Hinata was in one of the stalls and Sakura was waiting for her, checking her hair in the mirror.

"He practically lives there, so it's all the same."

"Right, for-forgive me for forgetting you kn-know every single de-detail of his life." The swallowing sound of the toilet flush was heard, and Hinata stepped out. Sakura smiled smugly.

"I know, right? Have you called your dad?"

"Yes…I t-told him I'd be st-staying at school to work on a-a project…he'd can-can't know I'll be-be at a boy's house, a-alone. I'll ha-have to explain i-it to Neji too, so he won-won't tell." Sakura nodded. Hinata's family was very traditional and strict. She was sort of friends with her older cousin Neji, who had finished school last year but decided to stay in high school to better his already excellent grades. Sometimes she would talk to him and, since he was well-respected within the family, he would intercede for her.

"So, you and Naruto? You'll actually be alone with him!"

"D-Don't remind me…I just know I'm gonna do something stupid again." When Hinata finished washing her hands, Sakura grabbed her by the shoulder and they headed out of the bathroom.

"Just a few more hours to go."

Xxx

All of this was _way_ surreal, Sakura thought.

Having finished their classes, Hinata and her had waited for their respective partners by the gates. Thankfully, Naruto was there with Sasuke and Gaara, so they wouldn't have to wait without one another. Sakura winked at Hinata as she headed towards her partners. Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Hey. My brother should be here in a few." Sakura nodded, and the three stood in what she hoped was comfortable silence. A discreetly expensive black car pulled up, and a duplicate of Sasuke said hi. The three got on the backseats.

"So, what's this report about?" Sasuke's duplicate asked, looking at them through the rear-view mirror. Sakura knew his name was Itachi, he had graduated from Konoha High two years ago. She couldn't admit he was as handsome or more so than his younger brother, but she thought his features were even more aristocratic and defined. The greatest difference was that the look in his eyes wasn't confident, safe and a little boyish like Sasuke's. It was mostly filled with melancholy, although it didn't show in his silky voice. The ride went by smoothly: Sasuke briefly explained the school project, Itachi made a polite joke about the doll's fatherhood, winking at Sakura, who was already blushing from apologizing to Sasuke, repeatedly, for brushing his knee with hers. Almost to their destination, Itachi asked Gaara why he didn't speak, to which he replied he had nothing to say, and they left it at that.

The neighborhood wasn't near Sakura's, and with reason. This one was lined with tastefully luxurious two-story houses, while Sakura's was like any other suburban neighborhood. The car was parked and upon entering the sizeable bachelor house, each brother went his own way, Itachi to what seemed to be a study room, and Sasuke, upstairs, leading Sakura and Gaara.

"This is kind of like my room…I only come here from time to time, so it's a bit messy."

"Aren't they all?" replied Sakura, playfully. Sasuke smiled back. They went into his room, which wasn't really messy, because there wasn't much to mess up. The only things inside were naked walls, a simple wooden bed, an old couch, a dresser, some magazines piled next to the bed, and, to Sakura's surprise, a bag of cookies. "_Those are my favorites too_!" Her inner self squealed with delight.

Sasuke sat on the floor cross-legged, and gestured at them to sit wherever. Gaara sat on the couch and Sakura on the bed.

For the next half-hour, they worked on their report, at first not seeing the point but, after Gaara suggested they should relate their fictional relationship with their doll to their personal experiences with their parents, began brainstorming, while Sakura wrote everything down. From what she had gathered, she was the one with the most functional family. Gaara reluctantly talked about how his mother "wasn't around", how he lived with his father and siblings, and how he very much disliked his father. Sasuke's family was similar, and very distantly related, to Hinata's. They were both big families, laced with age-old traditions, possessing self-named powerful enterprises. Sasuke said he liked his family, but talked about how "their priorities aren't in the right place sometimes". He wasn't particularly close to anyone other than his brother, which strained his relationship with their father. Itachi had been raised to be the next CEO of Uchiha Enterprises. His parents' energy was focused on his academic career and teaching him the same business drive his ancestors had had. But when Itachi graduated, he shocked everyone by declaring that he had no interest in the family business. He cut his ties to the family, spent an old uncle's inheritance on a Law degree, and, with his brilliant scores, found a job in a highly respected, high-end lawyer's office. He lived quite comfortably, and had even asked Sasuke to move in with him. The younger Uchiha declined; he knew that if he did, he'd never see his parents again.

Entranced by their stories, the likes of which she had only seen in movies, Sakura was almost embarrassed of talking about her average, completely normal family. She was an only child, her father worked as a dentist and her mother as a nurse. The rest of her close family was made up of her two grandmothers and her mother's brothers. She liked her parents, but sometimes she felt they were overprotective.

The three talked easily, Sasuke and Sakura more so than Gaara, who only spoke when directly addressed or when absolutely necessary. He spoke clearly and without redundancy. Sakura found herself relax, the previous day's awkwardness forgotten.

Like yesterday, she was friendly to Sasuke when speaking. A part of her had always dreaded that when faced with the opportunity to talk to him, she would be too nervous to function, like Hinata. Otherwise, whenever she imagined having conversations with him, it was always very movie-like, dramatic and kind of empty, she realized that now.

In real life, however, it was radically different: they spoke warmly, like they wanted to share their warmth with the other.

Unlike Gaara, who seemed to want to either share nothing, or just cold. But Sasuke seemed to like him.

Sasuke left the room to go get some food, with Sakura's eyes on his trail, a faraway smile on her face. He was so great, and things were really starting to work out for the two of them. She felt happy as hell and excited; she had dreamt of this for so long and it was finally happening. It was real, and natural, and new, and unpredictable in its way.

As she turned back to face her notebook, red and green came into her line of sight and she realized that Gaara was, and probably had been, staring at her, quite intently despite his unemotional expression. Suddenly, she felt as uncomfortable as if she were naked.

"Sorry." She muttered, feeling warmth rise to her cheeks. There was no denying it, she was embarrassed, "stupidly embarrassed" she thought, partly because Gaara had been observing her when she was pretty sure she'd been looking at Sasuke with nothing short of adoration on her face; and partly because of the stare itself. That see-through stare that was becoming uncomfortably familiar. As uncomfortable as that unmovable, unreadable face.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Ahm…because…" She really wasn't sure; she had apologized out of reflex. "I guess I was kind of rude…"  
"Rude? How so?" He inquired, slightly interested. She didn't answer. The way she had been acting towards Sasuke showed that she liked him on some measure. Even she was aware of that. To her, openly staring at him like that could potentially make Gaara feel like a third wheel.

But how to put all of this into words, to someone who seemed ready to throw everything she expected back at her?

When she didn't answer, he sighted and seemed to think about it.

"Ah, Sasuke. You think your attraction towards him makes me uncomfortable. Is that it?"

Sakura half nodded. When he put it that way, he kind of made her sound cocky. Like she expected every guy to not want her to like other guys.

"Yeah…uncomfortable as in out of place." She specified. He nodded and lowered his head, forgetting about her, picking on his nails, which, she hadn't realized, were painted black.

"Aren't you gonna say anything else?"

He looked up, visibly confused. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. How you don't care?" She was confused herself, not knowing the sense of her own question. He frowned at it.

"I "don't care" enough to not express an opinion."

"But you have one?"

"On what?!"

"I don't know! Just say something!"

Silence settled.

"I don't understand." Gaara said simply. "Will it help to settle your spirits if I say I don't care? How it doesn't affect me someone likes a friend of mine?"

The way he referred to her as "someone" didn't go unnoticed, but she said nothing of it. She sighted and sat down on the bed.

Oddly, talking to him was so cold and analytical that she felt she could say anything at all. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he had seen the worst of her already: the bathroom incident and whenever he won an argument.

After a few moments, she mustered the courage to say dejectedly "Doesn't anything affect you?".

Suddenly, Gaara snorted. "Geez, do you want me to be bothered by the fact that you like him this much?"

"It was an honest question."

"A lot of things affect me. You annoying me is affecting my self-control, for example. "

"No, I mean…people. Life. Good things, bad things. You always seem to not care at all."

He shrugged. "Life affects me like it would anyone else. But I'm not much of a people person."

"Why not?" She was looking at him in the face, unafraid, to show him that, again, it was an honest question. He seemed to understand this.

"I don't understand many things about human nature."

This sentence meant, to Sakura, a lowering of defenses. He admitted to not understand something. To be beneath something. It seemed like a big deal for someone so collected and cold. Besides, he had, maybe for the first time, complied to what she expected, even if he had just answered a question.

So Sakura felt that maybe this meant this was a bridge over their troubled waters. She felt a surge of warmth for him and, before she could stop herself, words came out of her mouth.

"You're not a bad person, Gaara."

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh, it has been soooo long! And the last chapter was the one I got the most reviews asking me to update soon...I am so sorry everyone. I hope you'll bear with me and my crazy schedule.  
Now is when I'd say Sakura x Gaara really starts. But we've still got a long way to go.  
I turned seventeen last week! Yay! Thanks in advance for the Belated Birthdays.  
Btw, I'm sorry but it's almost two of clock, I'm dying of sleep, soI won't be thanking each reviewer like I usually do. Very sorry. But each of your words means the world to me! I know it seems corny but it's true. So, thanks everyone. Thanks to everyone who didn't give up on the story during the long wait. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and will keep reading.  
Please review! Constructive criticism appreciated.**

xxx

PS: I've been thinking of Sasuke x Hinata as a plot twist...what do you guys think?


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Own nothing except plot.**

* * *

Some people, like Hinata, are extremely self-conscious and get very nervous when interacting with other people. Sakura, however, was very natural at keeping a conversation and knowing what to say…when talking to the ordinary people she knew from every other day.

Gaara was anything but ordinary to her, and apparently, this was affecting her otherwise excellent social skills.

"_What did I just blurt out_?" she thought, alarmed at her own attitude. Gaara was, for once, showing some kind of emotion, thought Sakura wasn't sure what to make of it. She just knew she wasn't supposed to say what she did.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem?" He hissed, agressively, again looking her straight in the eye. His cursing had successfully frightened her, and she didn't know what to say. She was nervous and color began to tint her cheeks.

"Sorry…I didn't mean…"

"Cut the apologizing! You think things, and you say them. You mean them, always." Sakura had been sitting on the edge of Sasuke's bed, and now Gaara was standing over her, arms hanging at his side. His voice had got lower than it usually was, and acquired an angry tone to it that had Sakura beyond frightened, at this point. It was late in the afternoon, and the setting sunlight coming from a window made Gaara look, Sakura thought, almost eery. She couldn't consider him beautiful, not usually, and certainly not now, with his face scrunched up in anger. But she realized that in the back of her mind, he did have a sort of appeal she couldn't yet name. "_How can I be thinking of what he looks like right now?!_" This was much more scary than some nameless, average school bully; Sakura knew Gaara could _hurt_ her. Verbally, with his cold words…and maybe even physically…

It became clear that Sakura wasn't going to open her mouth anytime soon, and as some seconds went by, Gaara seemed to relax a bit, and stepped back, aware of how his proximity had affected her. Her shoulders slumped in relief.

"You don't know anything about me, your pity is useless." He said, sitting on the couch. The anger was gone in his voice and face, replaced with his usual impassiveness. "And I have no problems with myself."

His sentence sounded final, but Sakura felt the conversation shouldn't be left at that. Mustering up the courage, she scrambled her mind for words:

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I honestly don't know why I said that. And… I don't pity you." She said the last part maintaining eye contact, so he could understand she was serious, and even smiled to ease the tension between them.

Sasuke came in, and with him came the easy ambiance they had been in before. They quickly went over their work, and decided it was finished.

"Don't mean to throw you guys out, but…time to get you home?" They agreed, and Sasuke went downstairs to search for his brother, only to find him missing.

"Argh, I can't believe that guy…" He said bitterly, rubbing the back of his neck. "If at least the car was here I could drive but…"

"Don't worry, I can walk home." Gaara stated. Both turned to Sakura. Her house wasn't exactly near, she couldn't drive, didn't have a car, or siblings with one.

"Uhm…I guess I can call my dad."

"Ok, I'll go with Gaara after your dad gets here." Sasuke was so nice she couldn't help but smile half the time she was with him. The three went outside to the small porch, sitting randomly on the floor or on the wooden bench. Sakura's dad arrived, and after she waved her goodbyes and left, Sasuke and Gaara started walking down the wide, gray pavement lined with big cheery trees.

"Is it far?"

"Not too much. If you want, I could burn you that Bad Religion cd."

"Yeah, sure, thanks."

"It's cool to see someone like you who likes that kind of music."

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah, popular. It's not usual."

"That's good then."

"Maybe in time, I can make you into the first popular guy to like Atreyu."

"Keep waiting." They half-smiled at each other. Both found it easy to talk to the other.

"Hey, what's going on with you and Sakura?"

Xxx

"I was _so_ scared." Sakura whispered into her cell. On the other line, Hinata tried to comfort her.

"At least i-it's over no-now. And my afternoon wasn't mu-much better than yo-yours."

"Hina, having a completely normal afternoon apart from Naruto complimenting how cute you are when you blush does not qualify the same state of bad."

"Fi-fine…"

Xxx

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who asked. Gaara frowned in distaste. They hadn't stopped walking.

"Nothing. She's just annoying."

"She's trying to be nice…"

"She tries too hard. I don't need her to be nice." Sasuke nodded, not actually agreeing. He considered his next words carefully.

"Look, I know we don't know each other that well, but I can tell you've got some kind of problem." Gaara raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm not calling you a freak or anything. I'm just saying it's obvious you don't get along with people that easily."

"I get along with you."

"It's different. I'm easy for you to deal with and I don't mind the way you are. But Sakura…she's, you know, a normal girl, so she's bound to be a bit weirded out. But she's also very friendly, and I honestly think she means well. So don't be too hard on her."

Gaara nodded reluctantly. "If you say so."

They were getting to their destination, as their landscape had gradually changed from an upper-class neighbourhood to a regular suburban one. They walked for a while, in silence until Gaara spoke.

"Sakura likes you." It was a statement, spoken as he did anything else. He noticed a slight blush on his friend's face.

"Uh, yeah, I know. She's on the club." By the club, Gaara had learned, he meant the Sasuke Uchiha fanclub.

"No, I believe she really likes you." Sasuke didn't reply, and again they walked in silence. Gaara pointed at one of the many similar houses they had reached.

"That's my stop."

"I don't know if I like her." Sasuke suddenly said. There wasn't much for Gaara to say, so he didn't say anything. They went on walking into his house.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the late update. School's been crazy, and I haven't had a lot of time. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. Actually, I'm not entirely happy with my writing style, like how each chapter covers about half a day. Would anyone prefer if I changed this? Or is it fine this way?**

**Humongous thanks to everyone who reviews, and I mean everyone, it means a lot. **

**I guess my SasuHina idea wasn't that popular...but...I really love the pairing...I don't know yet. SakuSasu and GaaHina and then switching them sounds way too swing-y. And besides, we need Naruto in the equation!**

**And I feel I should reply to Universal Disaster's review: Thanks for the tough love:) I know I don't do a lot of description. I tried to change it in this one, but I'll work harder. And I'd appreciate if you could point out some of my grammatical mistakes. I wasn't aware I even had them, I don't always write with a spell checker but I thought my grammar was always ok. So thanks for pointing it out.**

**Thanks for reading, hope you liked it. Reviews keep me happy! But constructive ones keep me soaring above the clouds, so...yeah, try to write one if possible please ^^**

**I promise the fluff is coming, be patient! Much love xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, I'd make Sasuke kill me for taking this long to write (can't think of anymore better to make my death a memorable experience).**

* * *

Sakura always slept soundly. The only thing that would ever come between her and her sleep would be fluffy pink, girly dreams about her Sasu-chan, and those didn't exactly displease her. This time, however, she kept seeing ominous green eyes lined with black in her sleep.

She barely opened her eyes as she showered and got dressed; she didn't want to look in a mirror by accident and confirm that yes, she did look like a killer zombie. She picked the most nondescript and dark outfit she could find, skipped out on accesories, perfume _and_ make-up, and went to the kitchen to chug down the most coffee she could find.

"Don't. Say. A word." Was what replaced her usual cheery greeting to her best friend. As usual, they met in front of the school gates. It was chillier than the previous day; boys and girls went by them, chatting, talking, showing each other magazines, game consoles, music players; all uniformized in cardigans, jackets or coats. Sakura herself, who usually stuck to tshirts until winter, had on a big, black trenchcoat. Conversely, Hinata would start to wear heavier, bulkier clothes much sooner. She had on a big, puffy powder blue zip-up jacket with a furry hood she didn't have on.

Hinata repressed a giggle, instead asking what had happened.

"I don't know, I just couldn't get any sleep." Sakura answered, as they walked to class side by side. "All I know is I feel horrible, and cranky, and messed up, and I just want school to be over." She said, her face in a tired grimace. Hinata did giggle this time. "I've ne-never seen you li-like this! It's al-almost like something's wro-wrong with the world, when you're no-not jumping around and making noi-noises."

"Shut up. I don't make _noises_." Sakura spat out through gritted teeth. Hinata kept giggling all the way to their classroom. Sakura didn't even bother looking Sasuke's, or anyone else's way, slumping down on her seat. Hinata complied to her friend's silent request, sitting beside her and not saying a word, looking anxiously at the other students, as everyone waited for the teacher.

Sakura kept letting her eyes close momentarily, and Hinata kept looking at everyone else. Everyone else went on doing whatever they were doing. Time went by, and as the teacher was still Missing In Action, students started buzzing between them questions and expectactions that he wouldn't come at all. After some time, a janitor finally came in and told them the teacher was sick, so there was no class. Cries of jubilee erupted; then the sounds of chairs screeching, and people packing their things. Hinata got up and poked Sakura to do the same; she was relieved, she hated being in a room with many people, she always felt observed. At least when classes were going on she had something to keep her mind busy.

Hinata was packing her things in her bag, with Sakura beside her doing the same, only in apparent slow motion. Without warning, Hinata heard a male voice behind her.

"Sakura?" Then again, tentatively. "Sakura…?"

It was Sasuke, standing a few feet from the two of them, looking quizzically at Sakura. Hinata blushed; she didn't have any particular feelings for Sasuke, but she always blushed whenever a boy, especially a good-looking one, was in close proximity.

They were actually two boys – Gaara was standing further even from Sasuke, his arms crossed and looking annoyed. Hinata shyly nodded in their general direction and pretended to be looking for something in her bag, so as to not have to face either of them, but as Sakura went on not noticing Sasuke (and this was proof of how awful she must be feeling), Hinata turned to her friend and timidly poked her.

"Sakura…Sasuke's here."

All of a sudden, Sakura's head jerked and her eyes popped wide open as she spotted Sasuke, who curtly smiled at Hinata and murmured "thanks" (she murmured "you're welcome back").

"Ohmigod, Sasukeee! I'm sorry, I'm totally beat today." Sakura said in a hurry, trying to discretly fix her hair as she spoke.

"It's okay. Listen, Naruto and the guys were talking. Since we don't have classes, they thought we could meet up at the arcade and play some stuff. Gaara and I are going, do you wanna come with?" Sasuke said, smiling warmly. In that second, Sakura had to use her sleep-deprived condition as her excuse for letting some of her amazement show through her features.

Going somewhere with Sasuke. No school involved, it was merely fun. Fun with Sasuke. Sasuke, the owner of that ridiculously gorgeous smile!

This was…the best day ever.

"Like, sure!" Sakura half-squealed. Thankfully, she noticed her friend in time, who was still pretending to look for something inside her bag.

"But only if Hinata comes with us!" She said, playfully hugging her friend from behind, who, in surprise, let her things fall to the floor and let out a little "eep!".

Sasuke shrugged and said "sure". The girls grabbed their things, and the four left the classroom.

"So uh, how are we gonna get there?" Sakura said, unsure of where to go once they stepped onto the hall.

" By car, Shikamaru said he'd drive us. The others are going with Kiba."

By "others", Sakura understood he meant the whole class. But she knew better than to be let down by the fact that their "date" wasn't that much of one. Hinata squeezed her arm lightly and smiled reassuringly. The girls walked side by side, with Sasuke and Gaara in front of them. It felt freeing to walk through the halls and hear everyone else having class.

They got outside and Shikamaru's old, beaten up red car was easy to stop, already running, in front of the gates.

"I can't believe that guy's fallen asleep again." Sasuke commented to no one in particular, but Sakura took that as her cue to let out a particularly nervous giggle. Gaara turned around to look at her with distaste, but kept walking. Sakura hadn't even remembered the connection between the nightmares and Gaara until then. "_Scary_…" She thought, frowning.

They kept walking to Shikamaru's car. Sasuke got in, calling shotgun, and had to lean across Shikamaru to press the horn and wake him up, which he did promptly with a startle, cursing under his breath. Hinata looked at Sakura nervously, and Sakura knew it wasn't only about being in partial stranger's car, but about the whole unexpected situation. She mouthed "relax" to her friend. Shikamaru barely glanced at them through the rearview mirror and nodded at their reflection, before pressing on the pedal.

"Let's enjoy some freedom." Sasuke said, turning around and winking at Sakura, before fiddling with the radio.

* * *

**A/N: I can't begin to apologize for taking this long, seriously. To everyone who didn't give up on this story and read this chapter, thank you so much. This one's short, and it's kind of a cliffie. The next one will have SasuSaku and GaaHina sweetness! So stay tuned. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last one. **

**Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Review if you can!**

**Love, **

**Jo**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** It has been...the longest time. I'm sure many people would have given up, were it not for the alerts. Thanks so much to everyone who came back to read this :D

Here it is, chapter 9, the Arcade chapter. I have a thing with arcades. Unfortunately, here in Portugal there are no decent ones. But a girl can still dream, I guess.

If this isn't by best chapter yet, I don't know what is. Come on. After you read this you HAVE to give me some sugar (In the form of reviews of course) !!! This is the longest one yet, too. Take it as my apologizing gift, for taking so long (I usually write 3 pages, this one's got 7).

Ok, won't keep you here any longer.

**Disclaimer:** Own nothing recognizable except plot. But I don't have the money for a lawsuit anyway, so if you wanna sue for it, go ahead.

* * *

"Go, Sasuke, go!" Was probably the one thing Sakura had heard the most, in the fifteen minutes they'd been in the arcade. It was a greyish, dim-lighted small shop, the only lights being neon and coming from the machines. Neither Sakura nor Hinata had ever been there; it was hidden in a small shopping mall downtown, and it attracted an older and mostly male crowd.

Sasuke kept speeding up in his simulated car, his eyes intent on the monitor and his hands gripping the wheel tightly. The many fangirls standing around his game-car seat wouldn't stop yelling, singing or even chanting in encouragement, which made, Sakura noticed, the people closest to them and the old manager sitting behind an equally old counter narrow their eyes at them. Sasuke didn't need encouragement, it was obvious he was winning against Shikamaru, who despite driving slowly kept hitting every single turn.

Sakura sighted in annoyance; clearly, this wasn't real one-on-one time with Sasuke. She had stood awkwardly with his fangirls, but decided it wouldn't do her any good, and was now browsing through the machines, trying to find something for her and Hinata to play.

"How about…bikes?" Sakura suggested, pointing at two pretend bikes attached to a gaming machine. Hinata visibly grimaced.

"The bikes a-are way too t-tall…" she said, then mumbled quietly "…I'm n-not _that_ fle-flexible…"

Sakura giggled, her friend's behaviour always, even if unintentionally, cheered her up. There had to be something that both of them could play. She checked the time; they still had about an hour until the next class started.

"Come on Hina, there just has to be something. Besides, I already bought tokens."

"O-okay…how a-about…that one?"

Hinata nodded towards a brightly colored machine with holes where plastic mice would come out and had to be hit with plush hammers hanging by the side. Sakura merely stared.

"No frigging way. I am not playing…oh my god, Hina, DDR!" She screamed out the last part, running towards the machine. It was huge, neon-lighted, and so much better than the simple mat she had at home.

"We just have to!"

It was also placed in a surprisingly ample and relatively well-lit corner, which would allow for a small audience.

"But…e-everyone's go-gonna watch!" Hinata said. She was pressing her pointer fingers together, which was, Sakura knew, a sign that inside Hinata's quiet and unassuming head, little Hinata brain people were running around her brain like headless cockroaches in panic.

"Don't worry, there aren't that many people in this corner. And most people are hanging by _Sasuke_ anyway." The name was almost spit out. Hinata lowered her face in agreement.

"Okay…i-if you say s-so." Sakura grinned and quickly took the tokens needed from her jeans pocket, and inserted them into the machine. As soon as she did, a loud, _very_ loud techno song with an impossibly quick beat and an irritating melody was thrown out the speakers, making the floor tremble and Hinata look around very anxiously as she walked slowly to her dancefloor beside Sakura's.

"I ho-hope nobody's wa-watching…"

"Shall we start?" Sakura yelled over the music, as she randomly picked a song. Hinata looked at the screen in horror.

"I-I don't kno-know that o-one!"

"Makes it all the more fun! Here we go!"

xxx

"Hey, Ino, what's going on over there?"

"Where? Oh, I've no idea, and I'm not gonna leave until Sasuke wins."

"Okay, I'm gonna check it out anyway, see ya." Said one of the girls from their class, as she left the fangirl huddle to find the source of all the cheering.

"Yeah sure, I'll meet you."

xxx

"I am going to _kill_ you!" Hinata screamed over the obnoxious music coupled with the cheers and whistles coming from behind her and Sakura. Sakura laughed loudly as she glanced at the crowd that had formed around them, not missing a single step. Thankfully they were mostly nerdy-looking guys within their age group, so there was no need to get in touch with her tougher, inner self. As she went back to jumping around wildly, she realized something.

"Oh my god, you didn't stutter!" She squealed to her rival. Hinata really hadn't, which showed just how murderous she was, for once, feeling. She sure wasn't looking too cheery; she was redder than usual in the face, her forehead held a visible layer of sweat, she was panting, and obviously losing. She didn't reply or even look at Sakura, too busy trying desperately to match her clumsy steps to the arrows on the screen.

"Come on, I know you're better than this!"

"At ho-home, sure!" The stutter is back, the killing intent is gone. _Oh well_, Sakura thought, _she must be feeling very intimidated, but it won't do her any harm to be the centre of attention for once_.

"Almost over, don't lose hope!"

"Yeah, ri-right!"

As the song ungracefully came to an end, and the cheering turned into loud clapping, Sakura jumped off her dancefloor and went over to Hinata, who had her hands on her knees and was breathing hard, helping her stand and guiding her to some plastic chairs against the wall.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She said, as she patted her friend on her back. Hinata merely looked up and gave her the Evil Eye. Sakura held in her giggles and watched as the crowd slowly dispersed back to whatever they had been doing before. She noticed three or four of the nerdiest boys whispering in a huddle and looking back at her and Hinata nervously; before she knew it, one of them plastered an overly determined look on his face and literally marched over to her and Hinata, looking at her in the eyes since Hinata had her head between her knees. The boy's words were rushed, showing just how nervous he was, despite the heroic look he had on his face. In the back, his friends kept whispering and looking over.

"Young lady, me and my colleagues have deemed it our duty, as frequent attendees of this establishment, to congratulate you and your partner on a spectacular show of true female strenght, which we very rarely have the pleasure of observing here."

Sakura allowed a few seconds to go by as she stared at his face. Even Hinata had looked up and was now looking at him like he had fallen from the sky.

"That rarely, huh?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Again, we congratulate you." He rushed, as he all but ran back to his friends. The girls looked at each other and just laughed.

"See, being the centre of attention every now and then can be fun." Sakura said to her friend. "At the very least, it won't kill you."

"Spea-speak for yourself." Hinata replied, fanning herself with her hand. An ominous shadow fell upon them; Sakura looked up and, to her (slightly lesser than on the other days) joy, it was Sasuke, standing in front of her and Hinata with his hands in his pockets, looking put-together as always.

"Hey. Nice show you gave out there." He said simply, with the now-customary hint of a smile. Sakura wasn't sure of how to reply; she was happy he was speaking to her, but at the same time she had thought his invitation implied them being together, which hadn't happened. In the less-than-one-second she had to decide, she decided that they weren't close enough for her to show him she wasn't happy.

"Thanks. Were you watching?"

"Uh yeah. My game ended, and everyone started coming over here." He said, then in a lower tone bordering on conspirational. "And I needed to get away from _them_."

Sakura laughed heartily. It almost seemed like he was afraid of them. _Knowing some of them_, she thought fleetingly, _he should be_. _Hell, I _was_ one of them. What happened?_

They fell into a silence. Hinata looked at Sakura unconfortably, when out of nowhere, a tall blonde girl walked over to the three of them, stopping beside Sasuke to give him a dazzling smile (to which she didn't get a reply). Sakura knew this girl only too well.

"Hey, Ino." Said girl looked at Sakura, which seemed like her true purpose for having gone there. She scrunched her face in contempt.

"Sakura. Nice game. Wanna battle?"

Hinata looked at her friend wide-eyed, and Sasuke looked at the two girls with moderate interest.

Sakura knew it was obvious Ino wanted Sasuke's attention as well. This was a battle for Sasuke, though a fairly misguided one. Sasuke wasn't going to talk to Ino if she won, not even to congratulate her. He simply had no interest...she had realized this very recently. But she was not one to back down from a battle, much less a DDR one. So she smirked at her opponent and declared "Game on."

Xxx

Hinata had opted to watch Sakura from the chair she was in anyway, rather than mingle with the crowd that had gathered around the gaming platform. The crazily-speeded, non-stop-jumping competition had caught the attention of practically everyone from school who was there. At the sight of Naruto, up front, cheering for both girls alternatively, she blushed deeply and cringed. _Pathetic_, she thought. Pathetic for crushing on someone impossible, for blushing uncontrollably, for feeling like she'd run a marathon after a DDR game. Sometimes she felt trapped; like she was sealed inside a giant plastic bag, the kind you store things in the freezer. She felt like she could never get through with anyone, and she never knew if it was because she genuinely didn't appeal to people, or because of her own impairing insecurities. She sighted, as she often did when thinking about herself.

The crowd was growing denser, and soon it became impossible to see through, and pushing through the people wasn't an option she wanted to face. She opted to stand up and walk around a bit; maybe she'd find someone else from school she could talk to. She spoke to a number of girls on occasion, though her only close friend was Sakura.

Walking around the machines, she spotted someone from school, just not someone she spoke to. Gaara was very focused on some kind of gun game. She didn't want to impose, and from what she had gathered, nearly any kind of interaction meant exactly that for the redhead. But at the same time, she didn't want to sit down, and watch and think, like she did every other moment of her life. It was a liberating stunt; something she wouldn't normally do that she needed to do. She knew if she didn't she'd feel pathetic and weak. So she shakily walked over to the boy, grabbed the other game gun attached to the machine, and despite him merely looking at her from the corner of his eye for a second, she timidly asked, "Mi-Mind if I joi-join in?"

He kept shooting at the screen, still focused. "When this one's over."

She sighted with enormous relief. He hadn't rejected her. This was extremely positive.

"Okay." She stepped back a bit, giving him room so as to not feel intruded on, as she observed his game. It seemed somewhat brutal, but there was no turning back now.

"Right, it's over. I don't have any more tokens, do you?" He said, turning back to look at her.

"Uh, yeah." She said, fishing some from her jeans pocket. She gave them to him, hoping he wouldn't notice her shaking hand. He inserted them into the slot, the game started, and as Gaara chose some settings he briefly explained the controls. She swallowed the lump in her throat and braced herself.

Xxx

Sakura stepped off the platform shakily as people came over and congratulated her. Ino was a worthy rival, she'd give her that. But ultimately, it all came down to experience, speed, focus and talent, all of which Sakura had.

"Nice work, Sakura." Ino all but spat out. "But I'll get you next time."

"I'll be waiting, Ino." She cooly replied, as she continued to stuggle to get off the platform. Her muscles were completely sore. People, mostly girls from school, kept coming to her and gushing about how great a player she was. She dismissed them with a tired smile, and soon the crowd that had once been there started to disappear, as people went away to busy themselves with something else. Ino's friends came and took her away in the meantime.

She chose to hold onto the rails on the platform and wait for the feeling in her legs to come back. She wondered idly about Hinata. When she could see nearly no one else there, she felt a strong hand on her forearm, helping her down. She had been looking down, but from the clothes, she knew it was Sasuke, and smiled.

"Need any help?"

"I guess. Thanks."

"No problem." He replied, moving so that her arm was around his shoulders. He carried her off and sat her on one of the chairs she had been previously on, sitting next to her. She shyly laughed.

"You must think I'm ridiculous. I mean, you play football for hours without complaining, and I play DDR twice and can barely walk."

"Hey, that was one vicious battle." He replied, smirking. Sakura smiled again for the milionth time, and changed the subject. She had never been actually alone with him, and she fiddled with her hands a bit nervously.

"Where's, uh, Ino? And Hinata? And everyone else, for that matter?" Before the battle had started, some people from school had been hanging around nearby, but not anymore.

"I guess they must be heading back to school. Don't worry, Shikamaru said he'd wait."

"Oh, okay then." She said. The only people hanging around the machines in this corner were a few guys they didn't know. They were pretty much alone, which made her nervous.

Sasuke kept quiet and seated, and she wondered why he hadn't stood up to go back to school. She decided to risk it and ask him.

"Um… I don't wanna sound…stupid, but…do you have anything to say?"

He looked at her and made a small smile. He seemed hesitant.

"I'm not sure. I mean…there's something I wanna say…or do…but…" He scratched his head discreetly. His apparent hesitance and unsureness had Sakura even more nervous. What was going on? "Okay, here's the deal. You're the first girl who's ever actually been nice to me. Not psycho, just nice."

She smiled unsurely. Was this heading somewhere…good? "Thanks…I guess."

His deep black eyes were set on her. "And…I like being with you, so far. And I've never actually done the relationship thing. You know, boyfriend and girlfriend. Well, once, but it was plain weird. Have you?"

"Uhm…no." _The guys at school are morons…and besides, I always hoped that…_

Xxx

Game over, player one wins. After a few seconds of intimidating silence, Gaara raised his head.

"I think it's fair to say that was the worst game ever."

Hinata dared not meet his eyes. She was blushing furiously, like always. Her immediate response would have been to apologize. But from what Sakura had told her about him, that would be like playing with fire. Despite all her issues, Hinata knew there was no real reason to apologize, it was just a defense mechanism that made her more of a victim than she already was. If she showed him weakness, he'd make her feel worse.

"Some pra-pratice should do it." She said, ina very low tone, but apparently he heard her because he nodded. He got on his knees to search for something on his backpack, which was on the floor by the machine. Hinata could still hear the crowd cheering for the girls, even on opposite corners of the arcade. She checked her watch and casually commented "We-we should hea-head back, it's al-almost…"

"Listen." He interrupted, standing up and crossing his arms. "You wanna go somewhere?"

She meekly stared at him. "So-somewhere?" He snorted in response, ruffling his hair. _Shiny…_

"Yeah, somewhere. Other than school, which would imply ditching. With me. Wanna?"

The way he said it made it sound like a dare. She had a few nanoseconds to think. She didn't ditch. She'd never ditched. She shouldn't leave Sakura alone. She shouldn't be going with him heaven knows where. With him. She barely knew him, and from what she knew, he wasn't an easy person. But…she would have never spoken to him on any other day, right? As unwise as it seemed, she knew she'd regret it afterwards if she didn't go with him. She needed to _act_ on her life, she needed to do _something_ and not just watch.

She'd take his dare. "Okay."

Xxx

Sasuke chuckled a bit, uneasy.

"This is slightly different from what I thought."

Despite how nervous and confused she felt, Sakura had to ask.

"Sasuke…I really don't get what you're saying." She said, looking at him. Despite how nervous and confused she felt, she felt confortable with him, on some level.

"I said a while ago I'd tried a relationship once. But it was like a crash test. I wanted to know what it was like, and ended up pretty disappointed. She was just like the other ones. I could kill her in the most horrible way, if she could keep staring at my face, she'd be willing." He sighted annoyingly. He'd had his head turned, and now his eyes were boring into hers again. She marveled at how he didn't seem nervous, just hesitant.

"But you, you know me. You know what I'm like, as a person. That's why this is a bit scary. What I say can't make you think I'm uglier or prettier. But it can make you think I'm a worse guy."

"Or a better one." She said, unsurely. Her ribcage was likely to explode in a while, and out would come her ridiculously fast beating heart.

He smiled, unsurely as well. "I'm not getting anywhere with this, am I?" They looked at each other awkwardly. They were sitting beside each other, Sakura turned to him, and Sasuke had his legs tucked under him. He began to lean closer, almost imperceptibly. "I don't think I need your permission, but…"

She looked at him, still confused but strangely giddy, as if she suspected something good might happen. He kept leaning closer, to the point where she could clearly see the eyelashes on his beautiful eyes.

Xxx

"This is…rea-really beautiful." Hinata whispered. It was around midday. The sun shone brightly, reflecting against the river. Gaara didn't reply.

Once she had said yes, he'd grabbed her hand and led her out of the mall. They walked through the busy streets, until they reached a bus stop. Since it was still early and a week ay, there weren't that many people waiting. Hinata and Gaara didn't speak, or even trade looks. But the silence didn't, strangely, bother her. Usually, they made her feel inadequate, like she should be saying something. But with Gaara, she felt he honestly didn't have much to say. And neither did she, and it was okay.

They got off in a familiar place. It was still downtown, just more peaceful and less entertainment-oriented. She had been there with her family on several occasions. It was typical for family weekends and tourists. There was a wide, paved, round plaza, with several historical statues and fountains, right next to a recognizable and imposing monument. Farther from the monument, there was a park, huge and very green, the kind where you can sit comfortably on the grass, as many people were doing. Some picnicking, others drawing, tourists taking pictures. They walked across the park. Hinata found it very peaceful and different, almost exotic. Like a world apart from school and home and the here with her family, she didn't get this feeling.

Gaara held her wrist unpractically, as they walked across the park, for some time until they reached a metal rail, stopping people from falling into the river Hinata was currently busy observing.

Maybe it was the adrenaline of skipping school, but she felt like talking.

"You ha-have no idea ho-how free I feel right no-now."

This time, Gaara looked back at her. He was leaning against the rail, feeling the wind and the sunrays. The slightest ghost of a smile was on his face.

"Good."

This made her happy. She felt free, peaceful, and happy, and never more out of her comfort zone.

"Does thi-this make us frie-friends?"

"If you want."

She smiled again. She busied herself looking for her cellphone on her bag, so she could text Sakura and explain. Gaara kept looking afar.

"Why do you think people get together?"

She studied him. It was the kind of question she'd never answered. Weird, but he was a weird person. Almost mechanically, her thoughts went to Naruto.

"Love?"

He scoffed., and replied somewhat morosely. "Yeah, automatic answer. I don't see any other reason for people to be together apart from either fucking or needing an ego boost. Even if you say you _care_ about someone, and only want what's best for them, who's to say you're the best for them?" He turned to look at her meaningfully, and then sat on a nearby bench with his legs crossed under him. Hinata realized what Sakura had meant about his eyes. They held…a lot. _I guess the ego boost thing is true... _she thought. It came to her like a ton of bricks on her stomach, slightly disrupting what she had been feeling before. _If Naruto were to have feelings for me...I'd feel better about myself. And that's basically it._

She took it one step further and went over to sit beside him. She needed to sit down, she had never thought of this before and it upset her. He didn't react. She marveled at how she was so careless around him. Maybe because she knew he was an outcast in everyone's eyes, just like her. They were alike, different from the rest. (Was she really that different? Was she just shy?) Even with Sakura, whom she loved deeply, she had sometimes a small but underlying uneasiness.

"Maybe be-because they feel alo-alone and ha-have no one else?"

Gaara kept silent, and faced the sky.

"It's pure selfishness, any way you look at it."

Xxx

Her heartbeats were erratic beyond normalcy. This was so much more than her dreams; it was _real_. She could see him, smell him, hear his breathing, if she wanted to she could feel him and taste him. That last thought had her blushing. All in all, she was drowning in Sasuke. And she wanted to die by drowning, if that meant she could have more of him.

He kept leaning in closer and closer. When their noses almost touched, he stopped. They simply looked each other in the eyes for what seemed like longer than it was.

She had pictured this so many times, but it was so different. For one, she felt more instictive and natural than she'd imagined. And she usually saw her and Sasuke as an outsider. To see nothing but his face up close was a bit uncomfortable…but new and exciting, when she could guess what was coming up next.

Both of them leaned in at the same time, pressing their lips together.

* * *

**A/N:** I put a lot of work into this one, so I'd realy appreciate criticism, especially constructive. I wanna know everything you thought of it ;)

So, yeah. No, I didn't change the story, **it's ultimately Sakura x Gaara**. It's just gonna take a while to get there.

Now, for the thank-yous. **Reality's the worst nightmare**, **Vannah-chan**, **a thousand cranes**, **ihkny**, **silver lone wolf**, **Lela Rye**, and the amazing author of **Workplace**, **Riz-I** :) These are the people who reviewed the last two chapters. Obviously I want to thank everyone who puts this on their favorites or alerts, but I don't have their names. But, a gigantic thanks anyway.

Hope you enjoyed this, review please!

xxx Jo


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